On Wednesday night, after Lyman beat East Hampton in straight sets to advance to its first Class S state championship match at 7 p.m. tonight against top-seeded Morgan at Berlin High School, senior Michelle Valliere’s knees above her guards were a bright pink. It was physical evidence of the toll of Valliere’s 28 digs on her body.

“She didn’t mention her back, did she?” Gomez asked, chuckled and then shook his head. “Great players don’t ever (say),’I’m hurting.’ It’s part of the deal of being who I am.”

Fighting injury

Valliere could only watch the previous four days of practice because of the back trouble. Gomez knew, however, there was no way that she was going to miss out on the semifinal. There she was on Wednesday night, her bright lime-green headband clearly distinguishing her from her teammates and her off-colored uniform, white with blue lettering — the opposite scheme from her teammates — distinguishing her as the Libero. She accepted a position forever sentenced to the Lyman back line.

“It was one of those things, they put me where they needed me,” Valliere said.

She began playing volleyball as a freshman. Now, the court is the place she feels most comfortable. Valliere is looking at three Division-III schools — Eastern Connecticut State University, Springfield and American International College (in Springfield, Mass.) — where she could continue to play.

“Getting on the floor is the best, saving balls,” Valliere said with a laugh.

Gym rat

Gomez describes the senior, fittingly, as a “gym rat.” She’s the proverbial “first one in, last one out of the gym,” who has played not only high school, but club volleyball over the last three years. There are others who could play the position for Lyman, such as seniors Mikayla Luft or Sierra Weum, but Valliere has brought a special something to the task.

“She has embraced the position, because of her toughness,” Gomez said. “She has that goalie mentality; laying out while balls are going up and she takes pride in that.”

Before each change in service, Valliere has to “check” the ball for the server, keeping it close to her until the server gets back into position. When the ball goes into the air, she is in constant motion, a dive to the left, a soft bump forward, an impossible dig from the floor to her right, sometimes, all coming on the same point. In addition to her body, her mouth never stops — in a good way — as she is always directing the defense, helping with the calls and lending encouragement.

“She is our heart and soul,” said junior Maggie Tarbox.

Just as Tarbox made that statement, tears began to well up in her eyes and she had to fight off the ensuing sniffles. It’s a genuine sign of respect for a teammate.

“I’ve been (playing) with her since I was little and she’s the fiercest competitor I’ve ever seen in any level of sports ever and she means the world to me and to the team,” Tarbox said. “We’re going to miss her next year. Absolutely, we want to win this for her.”

Valliere doesn’t say it in a cocky manner, not the bulletin board-type material, but more of a confident statement.

“Since the beginning of the season, I’ve wanted to play Morgan. It’s going to be awesome to be on the floor against them,” Valliere said.

Cinderella

The Huskies (23-0) present a formidable challenge to the third-seeded Bulldogs (20-4). Morgan beat seven-time defending champion, Coventry, Wednesday night, 3-0. It has lost just one set, a 25-18 decision to Valley Regional, in its three state tournament matches.

Gomez called both Morgan and Coventry “storybook” programs, meaning Lyman is probably Cinderella in this story.

“It’s going to be really interesting,” Gomez said, not once, but twice for emphasis. “I don’t think the kids are happy to be here. I think they believe that they belong here. Kids are resilient, they don’t know anything. It’s the adults who are worried about everything. The kids go play and they believe they are the best team in the tournament.

“We’re going to come out and we’re going to fight. We’re not just happy to be here. We’re going to enjoy the experience, but we’re going to fight and see where it’s at.”